Dhampir
"Dhampir. Most believe your kind are merely legends. It's rare to see a live Dhampir. Part vampire, part human. Mostly they die at birth. Genuinely, they're exterminated. They can withstand garlic, silver...even sunlight. And you could say they have the best of both worlds when it comes to vampires. Dhampirs have got all of their strengths, none of their weaknesses, except for the thirst." A Dhampir is the ch ild of a vampire father and a human mother. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses. Dhampirs are supposed to be adept at detecting and killing vampires. In the Balkans it is believed that male vampires have a great desire for women, so a vampire will return to have intercourse with his wife or with a woman he was attracted to in life. Indeed, in one recorded case, a Serbian widow tried to blame her pregnancy on her late husband, who had supposedly become a vampire, and there were cases of Serbian men pretending to be vampires in order to reach the women they desired. In Bulgarian folklore, vampires were sometimes said to deflower virgins as well. A vampire may also move to a village where nobody knows him and marry and have children there. The sexual activity of the vampire seems to be a peculiarity of South Slavic vampire belief as opposed to other Slavs, although a similar motif also occurs in Belarusian legends. Appearance While they seem more or less human, many Dhampirs have pale skin and dark hair. At birth they resemble still borns, but they do have a very faint heart beat. Some even possess sharpened teeth or claws, reminders of their father's undead heritage. They feed the same way as humans do and have no problems being out in the sun. Their looks are human, too though they are described as being more attractive then humans. They are not as powerful as the vampires so they have to train very hard to increase their strength, speed and stamina. Behavior An amazing number of Dhampir reject their vampiric heritage. Few, if any, can even stand the presence of a vampire. They are famed for their ability to not only hunt vampires- but also other mythical beings. Most are driven and stubborn, yet strangely charismatic. Various means of killing or driving away vampires are recognized among peoples of the region, but the dhampir is seen as the chief agent for dealing with vampires. Methods by which a dhampir kills a vampire include shooting the vampire with a bullet, transfixing it with a hawthorn stake, and performing a ceremony that involves touching "crowns" of lead to the vampire's grave. If the dhampir cannot destroy a vampire, he may command it to leave the area. A dhampir is always paid well for their services. The amount of money varies, but there is never dickering over the price. Standard pay for a dhampir may also include a meal or a suit of clothing. Sometimes a dhampir is paid in cattle. As late as 1959, professional dhampirs were still in business in Kosova. Habitat/Society Dhampir live generally undetected among human society, although they invariably grow up motherless, as their mother dies giving birth to them. They can belong to any class, and may be found working in any profession, although they invariably gravitate to occupations that minimize contact with others. Once a dhampir recognizes the supernatural abilities it possesses, many of them try to do good by hunting down and slaying vampires wherever they find them. This is particularly true of dhampir who have had contact with their vampiric parents. However, other dhampir find it just as easy to turn evil and adopt their father’s predatory ways in exchange for power. Ecology Dhampir must feast on the blood of humans at least once a week or they become unable to use their powers. Many good dhampirs thus are powerless, unless they force themselves to drink the blood of humans when a vampiric threat becomes evident in their region. Dhampir can produce children, who may themselves become dhampir or who may be normal humans. (A 50% chance of either being the case.) Powers Dhampir inherent powers from Vampires such as superhuman strength, speed, agility, senses, endurance, healing factor, and hypnosis and feeds on human blood: *'Superhumanly Acute Senses:' Dhampir's sense of sight and hearing are heightened to levels comparable to those possessed by true vampires. They are capable of seeing objects with perfect clarity at much greater distances than an ordinary human. They retain this same level of clarity even in near-total darkness. Dhampir's hearing is similarly enhanced, allowing them to detect sounds that an ordinary human can't and to be able to hear sounds an ordinary human can, but at greater distances. Dhampir’s sense of smell is as acute as that of a wolf or a dog’s, enabling them to track its prey for miles by the scent of the victim’s blood alone. Dhampir are also able to sense the presence of supernatural beings or forces, whereas an ordinary human would be oblivious to them. Dhampir's sense of sight and hearing are heightened to levels comparable to those possessed by true vampires. They are capable of seeing objects with perfect clarity at much greater distances than an ordinary human. They retain this same level of clarity even in near-total darkness. Dhampir's hearing is similarly enhanced, allowing them to detect sounds that an ordinary human can't and to be able to hear sounds an ordinary human can, but at greater distances. They can also instinctively sense impending danger, usually posed by humans. They can sense emanations of good or evil, instinctively avoiding the former while congregating in the latter. Overall, their keen senses give them several advantages when hunting or eluding its enemies. *'Enhanced Memory: '''Dhampir have perfect memory recall and develop mentally at a rate far faster than their chronological and biological age, speaking in complete sentences and walking just days after birth. *'Superhuman Strength:' Dhampir are supernaturally much stronger than humans, but are not as strong as a pure vampire. This, in addition to granting them great endurance, allows them to be stronger than any human and possibly large animals and they are capable of lifting about 1 ton. *'Superhuman Speed:' Dhampir are capable of running and moving at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete. They can also accelerate their movements to cover short distances in an instant, faster than the human eye can see, but are not as fast as a pure vampire. When running across long distances, they appear as vibrating blurs of motion. *'Superhuman Agility:' Dhampir possess superhuman agility. Their agility, balance and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. *'Hypnosis:' Due to their Vampire heritage, Dhampir can control another person's mind by making eye contact. Because of their hybrid nature, dhampir are completely impervious to vampiric hypnosis. *'Longevity:' Due to their Vampire heritage, Dhampir have a slower aging process and while they will die eventually, a Dhampir can live up to three hundred years. *'Regenerative Healing Factor:' Dhampirs, like full vampires, possesses an accelerated healing ability that allows him to heal mild to moderate injuries with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Dhampir are capable of healing from severe slashes and puncture wounds within a matter of hours. However, he is not able to regenerate missing limbs or organs. They can snap their finger bones back into place after being broken and have been seen to fully recover from gunshots, stab wounds, and torso impalement. *'Immunity To Vampire Vulnerabilities:' True vampires have numerous and very particular supernatural vulnerabilities, most of which Dhampirs are totally immune to. For instance, they are unaffected by direct exposure to sunlight, whereas most vampires are either rendered comatose during the daylight hours or are quickly incinerated when exposed directly to sunlight. Vampires are also highly allergic to silver, supposedly because of the metal's mystical purity. As a result, silver blades or bullets are capable of killing vampires. If not killed, and merely injured, it will take a vampire much longer to heal than if the injury had been inflicted by another material. Dhampir’s themselves could be injured by a silver weapon, much as an ordinary human would, but their healing powers would be able to heal it as if it were an ordinary wound. Dhampirs are also immune to the effects of religious icons, such as crucifixes, whereas vampires are rendered almost powerless when confronted by them. Weakness True vampires have numerous and very particular supernatural vulnerabilities, most, if not, nearly all of which Dhampir are totally immune to. For instance, Dhampir are unaffected by direct exposure to sunlight, whereas most vampires are either rendered comatose during the daylight hours or or but bright sunlight gives them mild burns and makes in incredibly difficult to see. If not killed, and merely injured, it will take a vampire much longer to heal than if the injury had been inflicted by another material. Dhampir are also immune to the effects of vervain, whereas vampires are rendered almost powerless when confronted by it. Dhampir themselves could be injured by a wooden weapon, much as an ordinary human would, but their healing powers would be able to heal it as if it were an ordinary wound. Dhampir may not have to feast on blood (though they only need to feed every once a week). And they can enter homes without permission. 'Magic:' Witches are able to give supernatural aneurysms that cause the blood vessels of dhampir to explode. '''Decapitation:' The act of dismembering or removing the head of a dhampir will result in death. Heart Extraction: The act of removing a dhampir's heart will result in death. Category:Supernatural Category:Undead Category:Offsprings Category:Vampires Category:Creatures Category:Humans Category:Hybrids